Category: Wine-Aid Packages

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$165 “The Paco de Lucía” Wine-Aid Package – 6 Bottles of Wine from Iberia’s Atlantic Coast (All Included and Delivered)

No need for a quote. We will let Paco de Lucía’s music speak for him. 

Introducing The Paco de Lucía, a $165 Wine-Aid package that includes six bottles of wine (four bottles red, two bottles white). From the inland mountains of Portugal to the coastal vineyards of northwestern Spain, this selection illustrates the broad range of styles from the Iberian peninsula’s Atlantic Coast. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a deep discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

One of history’s greatest guitarists, the role of the flamenco guitar evolved considerably through the playing of Paco de Lucía. He extended the former accompaniment-only tradition of flamenco guitar to include deeply personal melodic statements and modern instrumentation. José Luis Acosta, president of the Spanish Artists and Editors Society, stated that “Paco was and will be a universal artist, who took the guitar and flamenco sentiment to the heart of the whole world.”

The wines featured in The Paco de Lucía Wine-Aid package were produced with the kind of virtuosity and deep passion that Paco de Lucía put into his music. 

Included in The Paco de Lucía Wine-Aid box are two bottles of each:

1) Sonho Lusitano Vinhos “Pedra e Alma” (Alentejano 2013) Regular Price $35

“Pedra Y Alma” (Stone and Soul) is Sonho Lusitano Vinhos reserve wine produced only in the best years and from the oldest vines on the property. It is a blend of Trincadeira, Arragonez, Alicante Bouschet, and Grand Noir that is aged for two years in new French oak barriques. The 2013 vintage saw a late harvest that began in searing heat and ended in rain. It was a highly successful year for Trincadeira and the estate picked the old vine fruit just before the weather broke at the end of September. It is a tight-knit but generous and well-balanced red that will keep on giving.

 

2) Dominio del Urogallo “Pésico” (2013) Regular Price $28

Nicolás Marcos clearly likes a challenge. He left his family’s winery in Toro, did a stint with the distinguished Alain Graillot in Crozes-Hermitage, and then settled into the northwestern region of Asturias, specifically Cangas del Narcea. Pésico is a blend of equal parts Carrasquín, Mencía, Verdejo Tinto, and Albarín Tinto, all grape varieties indigenous to the region. Nico vinifies the juice from about 18 acres spread over parcels from four different crus. Each parcel is fermented separately with indigenous yeast before blending and partial aging in French oak barrels (including second year barrels from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti). This is truly a wine that speaks of the land, ripe yet fresh, bursting with blue fruits and layers of texture before a lengthy finish.

 

3) Coto de Gomariz “X” (Ribeiro 2017) Regular Price $30

One of the vanguard producers in the northwestern Spanish wine production zone of Ribeiro is the Bodega of Coto de Gomariz. Located in the Avia valley near the Atlantic coast, they enjoy a unique microclimate created by the Avia river. Shisteous, granitic and sandy soils, steep slopes, tiny yields, a unique microclimate, and the farming of the native red and white grapes of the region has allowed Coto de Gomariz to produce some of the most distinctive and expressive wines in Ribeiro. “X” is a single vineyard blend of Albariño and Treixadura named after the schist soils (xisto in Gallego) where the grapes are grown. It is wonderfully fresh, juicy, and rich. 

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$250 “The Claude Debussy” Wine-Aid Package – 12 Bottles of Red Wine from the Southern Rhone’s Most Significant Appellations outside Châteauneuf-du-Pape (All Included and Delivered)

“Extreme complication is contrary to art.” — Claude Debussy

Introducing The Claude Debussy, a $250 Wine-Aid package that includes 12 bottles of lush, earthy, and spicy red wine from some of Southern Rhone’s most prestigious Crus. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a deep discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Claude Debussy was French composer whose works were a seminal force in the music of the 20th century. He developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the Impressionist and Symbolist painters and writers of his time aspired. 

Debussy was constantly breaking new ground. Explorations, he maintained, were the essence of music; they were his musical bread and wine. The selections in The Claude Debussy Wine-Aid Package are also explorations, journeys into a terroir that is both familiar and surprising. 

Included in The Claude Debussy Wine-Aid box are:

1) Olivier Gras “Prat Sura” (Vacqueyras 2016) Regular Price $37 TWO BOTTLES 

The Gras family had grown grapes for other producers for decades on their 15 acre family farm. Olivier Gras, determined to create his own wines, studied viticulture and enology and upon graduation he carved his own domaine out of just a little over one acre from his family’s plot of vines ranging from 20-40 years old. In 2011, he produced his first vintage to great accolades and promise. The wine is mainly Grenache. A sip is balanced with silky tannins and lush, ripe fruit. Hints of licorice ride the lengthy finish. 

 

2) Domaine de Beaurenard (Rasteau 2017) Regular Price $32 TWO BOTTLES

Traditional winemakers Daniel and Frédéric Coulon hold a little under 80 acres of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and around 60 acres in the Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau appellation. All of Domaine de Beaurenard’s vines are certified biodynamic. In the vineyards, these methods involve working the soil without herbicides, spreading carefully-dynamised manure, and maintaining sensible grass cover. Beaurenard’s 2017 Rasteau is all herbal and red cherries. A blend of 80% Grenache, 17% Syrah and 3% Mourvèdre, it’s medium to full-bodied, creamy and supple.

 

3) Domaine de Font-Sane “Tradition” (Gigondas 2016) Regular Price $28 TWO BOTTLES

Véronique Cunty-Peysson and her husband, Bernard, lead the multi-generational family estate of Domaine de Font-Sane. The Domaine is about 39 acres across Gigondas and Ventoux and many of the vineyards lie within the protection of the toothy, lacy, and majestic rock faces of the Dentelles de Montmirail. Gigondas “Tradition” is mainly Grenache with touches of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault in the blend. The vineyards lie over five terroirs of clay/limestone, pebbles, sand, alluvium, and sandy loam that provide a nuanced complexity to the finished wine. Floral notes and herbs precede a concentrated, full-bodied sip with a finish of chewy tannins. 

 

4) Domaine de Font-Sane “Vieilles Vignes” (Ventoux 2018) Regular Price $15 SIX BOTTLES

Domaine de Font Sane is distinguished not only by star winemaker Véronique Cunty-Peysson, whose experience and intuition spans over three decades, but also from a collection of superb vineyard parcels. Ventoux “Vieilles Vignes” is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah from vines aged 50-60 years old grown in sandy soil.The elevation of Ventoux is a benefit to producing a poundable wine of interest. Floral and garrigue notes layered over bright red fruit will make this medium-bodied wine a bottle you’ll want to drink again and again.

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$165 “The Robert Louis Stevenson” Wine-Aid Package – 6 Bottles of French Red Wine from the Slopes of the Cévennes Mountains (All Included and Delivered)

“Wine is bottled poetry.” — Robert Louis Stevenson 

Introducing The Robert Louis Stevenson, a $165 Wine-Aid package that includes six bottles of ripe and lush red wine from the appellations of Faugères, Terrasses du Larzac, and Saint-Chinian — appellations that all lie in the dramatically craggy foothills of the southern slopes of the Cévennes mountain range. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 15% discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish poet, playwright, novelist, and travel writer. While he is most famous for his adventure novels like Treasure Island, one of his earliest published works was a pioneering classic of outdoor literature, Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes. The book recounts Stevenson’s 12-day, 120 mile, solo hiking journey through the southern French mountain range in 1878. Here’s a taste:

“There is a romance about all who are abroad in the black hours, and with something of a thrill we try to guess their business. But here the romance was double: first, this glad passenger, lit internally with wine, who sent up his voice in music through the night; and then I, on the other hand, buckled into my sack, and smoking alone in the pine-woods between four and five thousand feet towards the stars.”

Included in The Robert Louis Stevenson Wine-Aid box are two bottles of each:

1) Domaine Léon Barral (Faugères 2016) Regular Price $36

An arid landscape of scrub-covered ridges and windswept stone outcrops, Faugères is known for its dry and crunchy metamorphic schist that forces the roots of the vines to penetrate deeply in search of moisture. Didier Barral farms about 75 acres of vines using biodynamic practices.  This bottle is a blend of 50% Carignan, 30% Grenache, and 20% Cinsault from vines aged 40 to 70 years old. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 2 years in cement and stainless steel cuves. The aromatics are joyous with black cherries, cocoa, herbs and flowers. A sip is filled with fruit yet nimble on the palate, elegant even, with a finish of sun-baked stone.

 

2) Le Clos du Serres “Les Maros” (Terrasses du Larzac 2015) Regular Price $31

In 2006, Béatrice and Sébastien Fillon purchased 37 acres divided into 15 parcels near the town of Saint Jean de la Blaquière. The diversity of the soil across all of their parcels includes schist, sandstone, pebbles & shingle, and red ruffes (deep deposits of sandstone accumulated some 265 million years ago and exposed by erosion). “Les Maros” is a single parcel of schist west of the village. The wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, and 20% Carignan from the coolest vineyard area of the estate. The wine is matured for 12 months in concrete vats. Weighty and more concentrated, the flavors tend toward black fruit and licorice with a mouth-filling texture and lengthy finish.

 

3) Domaine Mas Champart “Causse de Bousquet” (Saint-Chinian 2017) Regular Price $25

Back in 1976, Isabelle Champart and her husband Mathieu began cultivating vines on a humble 20 acre farmstead. Mathieu tends to the vines, Isabelle makes the wines, and this small slice of the Languedoc is their life. “Causse de Bousquet” is a blend of 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, and 10% Carignan mainly from a broad limestone plateau at close to 1,000 feet in elevation where the hard rock extends through to the surface. Aromatics of red cherry licorice and herb-dusted stone hover above the slightest hint of grilled meat. A mouth-filling sip bellows of ripeness yet the wine never turns flabby. Indeed the lengthy finish seems to release energy as it remains. 

 

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$195 “The Sergio Leone” Wine-Aid Package – 12 Bottles of Spanish Wine (8 Red + 4 White, All Included and Delivered)

“I’ve always believed that true cinema is cinema of the imagination.” — Sergio Leone

Introducing The Sergio Leone, a $195 Wine-Aid package that includes 12 Bottles of Spanish Wine showcasing the quality and value of Spanish wines from the slopes of Montserrat near the Mediterranean Sea to the Val do Salnés on the Atlantic coast. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 20% discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

While Sergio Leone is an Italian director most of his films are inextricably tied to the landscape of Spain. The Tabernas Desert in the southeastern province of Almería is probably the most famous setting, but he filmed all over the country. Indeed, the first film of the “Man With No Name Trilogy” that made both Leone and Clint Eastwood famous, and is considered the birth of the spaghetti western genre, was principally filmed in the municipality of Hoyo De Manzanares, a short drive from the vineyards of our first featured winemaker Uva de Vida.

It’s easy to imagine that those many years ago the cast and crew might have been drinking very similar wines as are featured in this Wine Aid package. And it is this idea of geography, and its connection to the history of humanity, that can make the simple act of drinking a good bottle of wine something more profound. 

Included in The Sergio Leone Wine-Aid box are four bottles of each:

1) Uva de Vida “Latitud 40” (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla 2015)  Regular Price $23

The wife-and-husband team of Carmen López and Luis Ruiz have harnessed the soul of the land to produce wines of purity, brilliance and energy. Biodiversity of plant and animal life is promoted in their 33 acres of vines planted at 1,600 feet of altitude in the clay-based soils near the tiny village of Santa Olalla just up the road from the city of Toledo. Uva de Vida employs minimal intervention techniques from start to finish. 100% Graciano and nearly opaque deep red, a glass of “Latitud 40” radiates aromas of cherry fruit leather, dark chocolate, herbs, and salty, sun-baked earth. These heady scents merge seamlessly into a mid-weight sip of blackcurrant fruit with a long and juicy finish. 

 

2) Ca N’Estruc Negre (Catalunya 2016) Regular Price $14

Francisco Martí is co-owner of perhaps the finest wine shop in Spain, Vila Viniteca, located in the El Born district of old Barcelona. Yet he has spent much of his life in the vineyards of the Ca n’Estruc estate that lies on the slopes of Montserrat at over 500 feet in elevation. The Vineyards are ideally orientated to optimize sunshine and hold some vines that are close to 80 years old. Ca N’Estruc Negre is a blend of Garnatxa, Samsó (Carinyena), and Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo) grown in alluvial soils. Ripe raspberries and cherries underneath a hint of rosemary make this one of the more interesting everyday value wines that you’ll find. 

 

3) Fento “Bico da Ran” (Rías Baixas 2018) Regular Price $17

Bico da Ran is 100% Albariño made from fruit grown in the sub-zone of Val do Salnés. Considered the birthplace of the Albariño grape this is the original and oldest sub-region in Rías Baixas. With an altitude below 1,000 feet and vineyards that reach the Atlantic Ocean, this is the coolest winemaking zone in the region. Some of the best vineyards in Salnés produce the Bico da Ran fruit. The vines are 15 to 25 years old. Grapes are harvested in early morning to preserve aroma and freshness. Vinification and aging is done in stainless steel. All of this results in a wine that is aromatic with citrus and a delicate herbality. On the palate it is refreshing and crisp, with layers of crunchy orchard fruit.

 

Still from A Fistful of Dollars (1964) compared to a recent photograph in Hoyo De Manzanares

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$160 “The Leonardo da Vinci” Wine-Aid Package – 6 Bottles Italian Wine (4 Red, 2 White, All Included and Delivered)

“The discovery of a good wine is increasingly better for mankind than the discovery of a new star.” — Leonardo da Vinci

Introducing The Leonardo da Vinci, a $160 Wine-Aid package that includes six bottles of Italian wine. This small range of wines from stellar producers in north central Italy are just a small sample of the variety available from these ancient lands. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a deep discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Perhaps a lesser known fact is that da Vinci owned several vineyards in central and northern Italy. His letters to friends, family, and farm managers show that he was an ardent wine taster, producer, and even cultivator.

He was particularly inspired by “the divine juice of the grape” in the late 15th century, when he was painting The Last Supper in Milano. During this period, da Vinci experimented with all parts of the winemaking process, from cultivating his own varietals, to perfecting the grape press, to distilling brandy.

Included in The Leonardo da Vinci Wine-Aid box are two bottles of each:

1) Ampeleia Cuvée “Ampeleia” (IGT Costa Toscana 2015) Regular Price $47 

Ampeleia is an exciting project led by star winemaker Elisabetta Foradori near the Tuscan coast. It seeks to reveal the diversity and potential of Maremma’s Colline Metallifere, a mineral-rich, mountain-hill group mined since Etruscan times that occupies the central-western part of Tuscany, just west of Montalcino. The base of the wine consists of low yields of Cabernet Franc from vines planted in the early 1960s. A grocery cart of heady aromatics include mixed berries, cherry licorice, minty herbs, a touch of chocolate, and a whisper of lavender. A sip is generous with dense fruit that seamlessly merges with a medium-bodied mid-palate and a mineral-rich, lengthy finish. 

2) Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso (DOC 2016) Regular Price $28

The green hills of Umbria match neighboring Tuscany in their splendor and are finally catching up with the level of wine quality. This fact is most apparent in the hills of Perugia, and even more specifically the comune of Montefalco. It is there that the native, naturally low-yielding grape variety of Sagrantino reigns. Montefalco Rosso is a blend of 60% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, and 15% Sagrantino. After vinification, the wine is matured for 12 months in large wooden oak barrels and a further six months in the bottle. It sports an elegant bouquet with scents of cherry and spice. A sip offers bright flavors of red fruits while the finish is quite herbal with polished tannins and good length. It’s a pleasantly complex wine with enough structure to develop for a few more years.

3) Andrea Felici “Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Superiore” (DOC 2013) Regular Price $19

Winemaker Leopardo Felici is a superstar. In its 33rd edition, the chief Italian wine rating publication, Gambero Rosso, has awarded him “Grower of the Year, “ calling him “a true vigneron capable of interpreting every nuance of his land, Castelli di Jesi.” Leopardo is a Verdicchio perfectionist. Soon after taking over his family’s small 25 acre estate in Apiro, the highest of the villages surrounding the town of Jesi, he immediately began transitioning to organic farming to help create the purest wines possible. You won’t find many wines at this price level with this concentration and specificity of place. Drinking at its peak, this wine shows outstanding varietal purity, full of white fruits, hints of brine and almonds, and serious length. 

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$270 “The Thomas Aquinas” Wine-Aid Package – 12 Bottles of Côtes du Rhône from Producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape (All Included and Delivered)

“Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.” — Thomas Aquinas.

Introducing The Thomas Aquinas, a $270 Wine-Aid package that includes 12 bottles of Côtes du Rhône from producers based in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This range of wines represents the high level of quality and value that stellar Châteauneuf-du-Pape winemakers are capable of producing with their more everyday, regional wines. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a deep discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) lived at a critical juncture of western culture when the arrival of the Aristotelian corpus in Latin translation reopened the question of the relation between faith and reason. Born in Lazio, Italy, Thomas eventually completed his studies at the University of Paris. The Catholic Church has over the centuries regularly and consistently reaffirmed the central importance of Thomas’s work, both theological and philosophical. 

Fifty years after Thomas’s death, Pope John XXII, seated in Avignon, pronounced Thomas a saint. Pope John XXII regularly drank the wines from the vineyards that we now know as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and did much to improve viticulture practices there. Whether you are Catholic or not, you can appreciate him for his wisdom in both wine and philosophers. 

Included in The Thomas Aquinas Wine-Aid box are four bottles of each:

1) Domaine Chante Cigale “Vieilles Vignes” (Côtes du Rhône 2016) Regular Price $25

Domaine Chante Cigale is one of the most important family estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Young winemaker Alexandre Favier and his team are dedicated to traditional winemaking using native yeasts for fermentation. The estate boasts close to 100 acres, divided into 45 parcels, across exceptional terroir. The diversity of soils and grape varieties allows the elaboration of wines that truly represent Southern Rhône. The fruit for Chante Cigale’s old-vine Côtes du Rhône comes from hand-harvested, 50-year-old vines in the Plan de Dieu, one of the finest lieux-dits in the appellation. Composed of 70% Grenache, 20% Carignan, and 10% Syrah, the wine shows loads of cherry fruit and spice. 

2) Domaine Charvin (Côtes-du-Rhône 2017) Regular Price $25

Until recently, Laurent Charvin, who holds about 25 acres in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, was almost the only grower to vinify with whole-cluster fermentations. Today that is becoming the trend. His Côtes-du-Rhône is a blend of low yielding vines, mainly Grenache with small additions of Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Syrah.  Some vines are as old as 90 years, with the average around 40 years old.  The fruit is organically farmed and harvested by hand from north-facing slopes on the northwest limit of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape lieu-dit Maucoil. Only indigenous yeasts are used and fermentation is done in cement tanks. Dark red fruits and an herbal vibe make this a seriously tasty wine.

3) Domaine de Beaurenard (Côtes-du-Rhône 2018) Regular Price $25

Traditional winemakers Daniel and Frédéric Coulon hold a little under 80 acres of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and around 60 acres in the Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau appellation. All of Domaine de Beaurenard’s vines are certified biodynamic. In the vineyatds, these methods involve working the soil without herbicides, spreading carefully-dynamised manure, and maintaining sensible grass cover. Their Côtes-du-Rhône is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah from parcels of limestone and clay. The fruit is co-fermented with native yeasts and a short maturing period to preserve the delicacy of the fruit. The embodiment of the Beaurenard style, the wine shows ideal balance between fruit and spice. Fragrantly aromatic native herbs intermingle with pure, sumptuous fruit. 

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$165 “The Matisse” Wine-Aid Package – 6 Bottles Southern French Red Wine (All Included and Delivered)

“What I dream of is an art of balance.” — Henri Matisse

Introducing The Matisse, a $165 Wine-Aid package that includes six bottles of Red Wine illustrating the rich fruit and herbal fragrant wines from vineyards across southern France’s Languedoc-Rousillon region. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Henri Matisse was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. In 1905 he was residing in the coastal village of Collioure in the Languedoc-Roussillon when he was inspired to fill his canvases with passionate hues and a brash distortion of form. For these stylistic innovations he was branded a fauve (wild beast) and thus fundamentally altered the course of modern art with the founding of Fauvism.

The selections in The Matisse Wine-Aid are not only a nod to the “art of balance” but also to the bold and ecstatic vibes, much like Matisse’s work, that these wines display in the glass. We’re pretty sure that Henri would approve. 

Included in The Matisse Wine-Aid box are two bottles of each:

1) Domaine Saint Sylvestre Rouge (Languedoc 2015) Regular Price $45

Vincent and Sophie Guizard are cultivating less than 20 acres of prime vineyards in Terrasses du Larzac, an appellation known for its unique climate that benefits from both the warm Mediterranean sea and the cool air that blows down from the Larzac plateau on summer nights, creating wines that are fresh, yet delicate. They use no synthetic fertilizers or herbicides in the vineyards. Fermentation is completed using only indigenous wild yeasts. The wine is a blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, and 10% Mourvedre aged for two years in used French oak barrels from Burgundy before blending and bottling without fining or filtering. It exudes an intoxicating nose of blackberry, garrigue, raw red meat, violets, and a curl of wood smoke. 

2) Le Clos du Serres “Saint-Jean” (Terrasses du Larzac 2017) Regular Price $24

In 2006, Béatrice and Sébastien Fillon purchased 37 acres divided into 15 parcels near the town of Saint Jean de la Blaquière. The diversity of the soil across all of their parcels includes schist, sandstone, pebbles & shingle, and red ruffes (deep deposits of sandstone accumulated some 265 million years ago and exposed by erosion). “Saint-Jean” is a blend of 25% each Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Oeillade (a grape indigenous to the Languedoc and close to extinction). It’s a wine that expresses all the terroir the village has to offer. After maturation for 12 months in concrete vats the result is a wine that is luscious with fruit but balanced, with floral, spice, and red berry aromatics.

3) Domaine Bertrand-Bergé “Origines” (Fitou 2016) Regular Price $23

Fitou Montagneux is a patch of mountainous schist fifteen miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea. Winemakers Jérôme and Sabine Bertrand’s estate is comprised of many old-vine parcels that cover an area of 84 acres dotted around the hilly countryside of Paziols, the air fragrant with the scent of wild juniper, thyme, rosemary and lavender of the local garrigue shrubland. The estate is cultivated entirely using organic techniques. Of the wide range of soils that are found in the region, the pudding stones found around Paziols contribute much to the high quality of the wines. “Origines” is a starting point to understanding and enjoying the terroir of Fitou. A blend of 60% Carignan and 40% Grenache aged for 18 months in concrete, “Origines” delivers juicy ripe black fruits accented by clean earth.

The Wine Press — Henri Matisse

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$260 “The Cézanne” Wine-Aid Package – 12 Bottles Southern French Red Wine (All Included and Delivered)

“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” — Paul Cézanne

Introducing The Cézanne, a $260 Wine-Aid package that includes 12 bottles of Red Wine illustrating a range of ripe and luscious flavors and aromas from vineyards across Mediterranean France. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations for 20th century art. His paintings formed a bridge between Impressionism and the early 20th century’s new line of artistic enquiry, Cubism. Both Matisse and Picasso claimed that Cezanne “is the father of us all.” 

The Sainte-Victoire mountain near Cézanne’s home in Aix-en-Provence in southern France was one of his favorite subjects and he is known to have painted it well over 60 times. This is the type of landscape you find throughout Mediterranean France and from which our latest selection of wines is inspired. Cézanne painted the mountain from different angles, at different times of the day, and under different weather conditions. Browsing all of his works on this subject and you get a sense of the different elements over a growing season the winemakers represented in this selection must face every vintage. 

Included in The Cézanne Wine-Aid box are four bottles of each:

1) Mas des Caprices “ZE” (Fitou 2016) Regular Price $31

Mireille and Pierre Mann quickly made a name for themselves by producing tasty, genuine wines on the Mediterranean coast. Certified organic in 2009, their guiding philosophy is meticulous work in the vineyard while respecting nature. A blend of 40% Carignan, 35% Grenache, and 25% Mourvèdre from the windswept Leucate cliff. Fruit, both ripe and fresh, provides the foundation for this crowd-pleasing red. Maturation takes place for nine months, mainly in concrete vats, with around 20% aging in old barrels. Exceptionally floral on the nose, a sip seduces the palate with velvety tannins and silky berry salad. Pop a bottle for pizza, shawarma, or (virtual) game night with friends.

2) Le Clos du Serres “Saint-Jean” (Terrasses du Larzac 2017) Regular Price $24

In 2006, Béatrice and Sébastien Fillon purchased 37 acres divided into 15 parcels near the town of Saint Jean de la Blaquière. The diversity of the soil across all of their parcels includes schist, sandstone, pebbles & shingle, and red ruffes (deep deposits of sandstone accumulated some 265 million years ago and exposed by erosion). “Saint-Jean” is a blend of 25% each Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Oeillade (a grape indigenous to the Languedoc and close to extinction). It’s a wine that expresses all the terroir the village has to offer. After maturation for 12 months in concrete vats the result is a wine that is luscious with fruit but balanced, with floral, spice, and red berry aromatics.

3) Domaine Saint Patrice “Vieilles Vignes” (Côtes-du-Rhône 2016) Regular Price $18

From their first vintage, Domaine Saint Patrice became one of the finest producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  “Vieilles Vignes” Côtes-du-Rhône is boisterously fruity in aromatics and flavor with some clean earth and a hint of herbs. A sip is downright poundable, juicy, with a finish that extends far beyond its reasonable price. It has all the elements one looks for in the type. The attractive price is just the cherry on top. It is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah from three plots: Les Champauvins, Le Coudoulet, and Boisfeuillet. In the cellar, maceration and fermentation are done in concrete tanks. Aging takes place over 14 months in concrete vats and large oak foudre with a further 12 months after bottling.

Mont Sainte-Victoire

 

 

 

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$210 “The Antoni Gaudí” Wine-Aid Package – 12 Bottles Spanish Wine (9 Bottles Red, 3 Bottles White, All Included and Delivered)

“Anything created by human beings is already in the great book of nature.” — Antoni Gaudí

Introducing The Antoni Gaudí, a $215 Wine-Aid package that includes 12 bottles of Spanish wine illustrating the diverse range of wines available from Catalunya on the Mediterranean Sea all the way to “Green Spain” and the Atlantic coast. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Antoni Gaudí was a Catalan architect who has become internationally known as one of the top exponents of modernism. His incomparable architectural language defies classification. Of particular note for us lovers of wine is Gaudí’s design for Celler Güell near Barcelona — A wine cellar totally integrated into the rocky landscape wedged between the Mediterranean Sea and the Garraf Massif mountain range, perfectly in tune with its arid location. 

This selection of Spanish wine pays homage to Antoni Gaudí’s pioneering work with organic forms. He took his inspiration from nature, in a way somewhat similar to the winemaker that must craft a wine with the fruit that a growing season provides. 

Included in The Antoni Gaudí” Wine-Aid box is three bottles of each:

1) Coto de Gomariz “Abadía” (Ribeiro 2012) Regular Price $28

One of the vanguard producers in the northwestern Spanish wine production zone of Ribeiro is the Bodega of Coto de Gomariz. Located in the Avia valley near the Atlantic coast, they enjoy a unique microclimate created by the Avia river. “Abadía” is a blend of local red grapes that consists of 50% Sousón complemented with Brancellao, Ferrol, and Mencía from the village of Gomariz where soils are granitic with schist and clay. Though fermented in stainless steel, the wine is aged for one year in 300-liter used oak barrels, mostly of French origin, to tame some of the hairy tannins that Sousón can exhibit. With a few years of age, the wine is presently drinking at its peak. A sip is juicy little forest berries with a long and winding cherry pit finish. On the nose, the berry fruit is sweeter with hints of licorice and cream. 

2) Artuke “Artuke” (Rioja 2018) Regular Price $16

One of the most exciting producers in Rioja right now, Artuke is brothers Arturo and Kike de Miguel Blanco, third generation viticulturalists. These two young men have completely refocused the family winery to cultivate small vineyard plots in and around their village of Ábalos in the high elevation foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains. “Artuke” is made with the carbonic maceration method, a wine-making technique used to enhance aromatics and produce luscious, fresh, fruity wines preferred by Basques in the northern sub-zone of Alavesa. It is a blend of mainly Tempranillo grapes with about 5% of the white grape, Viura. This mouth-watering red wine takes a relatively deep chill which makes it a versatile pairing with all types of food: tuna, pretty much anything made with zucchini, fried chicken, gooey cheese sandwiches, pizza, etc…

3) Bodegas Cesar Príncipe “13 Cantaros Nicolas” (Cigales 2016) Regular Price $16

The red wines of star producer Ignacio Príncipe are emerging as superb wines that rival or exceed Cigales’ well-known neighbors of Ribera del Duero and Toro. The soil of Cigales is unique by virtue of its large pudding stones which litter the vineyards and the region’s winemakers insist that this soil is most ideal for the Tempranillo variety. “13 Cántaros Nicolás” is 100% Tempranillo from 20-year-old vines in and around the Valladolid municipality of Fuensaldaña. The vines are organically cultivated and hand-harvested. It is fleshy with intense aromas of red fruits, plum, jam, and spices. Ripe but balanced, it’s an excellent wine to pair with everything from roast vegetables to burgers.

4) Ca N’Estruc Blanc (Catalunya 2017) Regular Price $14

Francisco Martí is co-owner of perhaps the finest wine shop in Spain, Vila Viniteca, located in the El Born district of old Barcelona. Yet he has spent much of his life in the vineyards of the Ca n’Estruc estate that lies on the slopes of Montserrat at over 500 feet in elevation. The Vineyards are ideally orientated to optimize sunshine and hold some vines that are close to 80 years old. A blend of Xarel•lo, Macabeo, Muscat, Garnatxa Blanca, and Chardonnay, “Ca N’Estruc Blanc” is organically cultivated and manually harvested. Pale yellow with a greenish hue in the glass, a sip is crisp and dry with aromas of ripe peaches and pears and a subtle note of herbs. Drink it with grilled zucchini, shrimp, or just drink it while you’re grilling.

 

Celler Güell

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$175 “The Salvador Dali” Wine-Aid Package – 6 Bottles Spanish Red Wine (All Included and Delivered)

Spanish Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí believed that “a real connoisseur does not drink wine but tastes of its secrets.”

Introducing The Salvador Dali, a $175 Wine-Aid package that includes six bottles of very real Spanish red wine illustrating the lushness and balance that can be found from the Mediterranean Sea to the lower slopes of the Pyrenees. The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 10% discount. We will also honor the 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package. 

Dali’s paean to wine, The Wines of Gala, was first published in 1976 as a follow-up to his cult 1973 cookbook Les Dîners de Gala. The book explores the pleasures of the fermented grape in text as well as sensuous and subversive visual works by the artist. Dali categorizes the wines “according to the sensations they create in our very depths” and this Wine-Aid selection might very well fall under what he would consider “Wines of Joy.”

Included in The Salvador Dali Wine-Aid box is two bottles of each:

1) Mas l’Altet “Avi” (Valencia, 2011) Regular Price $35

The husband-and-wife team of Alfredo Esteve and Nina Coolsaet are the heart and soul behind Bodega Mas l’Altet. The couple’s five acre vineyard is situated in the southern portion of the DO Valencia in a microclimate that benefits both from the cooling effect of high elevation and the warmth of the nearby Mediterranean Sea. “Avi” is a blend of mainly Syrah with a large portion of Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Garnacha and Merlot. Deeply aromatic and bountiful with ripe fruit, the fitness of the vineyards are evident in each rich, concentrated glassful. As you might suspect, with only five acres, yield is miniscule. Only a few hundred cases are produced each vintage. 

2) Domaines Lupier “El Terroir” (Navarra 2014) Regular Price $34

Domaines Lupier have been garnering international accolades from their first vintage in 2008. They produce 100% Garnacha wine from 27 separate plots, with vines ranging from 68 to over 100 years old (the oldest vineyard planted in 1903), at elevations up to 2,500 feet. This is the northern region of Navarra, more specifically, the cool and mountainous sub-zone of Baja Montaña, where wines can show harmony of ripeness and freshness with all the precision of an oceanic climate. “El Terroir” is aromatically complex with layers of floral, cherry, and spice. A sip is superbly balanced and practically begs another in short measure. It puts to mind Château Rayas – another 100% old-vines, Grenache-based wine from the legendary producer in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

3) Artuke “Pies Negros” (Rioja, 2017) Regular Price $24

One of the most exciting producers in Rioja right now, Artuke is brothers Arturo and Kike de Miguel Blanco, third generation viticulturalists. With less than 55 total acres of vineyards distributed over 32 different plots these two young men have completely refocused the family winery to cultivate small vineyard plots in and around their village of Ábalos in the high elevation foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains. “Pies Negros” is a blend of mostly Tempranillo with a small amount of Graciano from vines as old as 95 years. The wine is especially pretty on the nose with a heady floral scent wrapped around candied fruit and cinnamon. A medium-bodied sip is generous and swells through the midpalate to finish with a touch of earth.